Smith 3-Transitions.jpgGillian Smith
FA1071-14
Professor: Brian Davis
October 1, 2012
The piece I chose to look at and write about was Peter Campus’ 3 Transitions. The piece depicts 3 different scenes with the artists. In one he is standing in front of a large sheet of yellow paper and you can see as he cuts into it but it looks like he is cutting into himself and then he steps out and patches up the cut paper. The next scene involves him erasing his face but another of his face is behind the original face and comes through, having a weird 3-D effect on his face. The last one had him holding a mirror image of his face on a sheet of paper that he burned.
The first Transition reminded me of transcendence and angels. The yellow background and a small peak at a garden background that the second figure was coming from reminded me of Heaven a bit. In contrast, the third Transition reminded me of Hell and the fire gates opening up to consume the artist as he watched himself burn. The second Transition reminded me of how we are who we are even if we were to erase ourselves and remake ourselves in a different image it wouldn’t change who you are. All three Transitions hold meaning that only video can give them. This is because they are skillfully edited and the motion brings the meaning to the piece. Had the piece been still shots or a photograph, it would not have had the same implications. By choosing video as his medium, Campus breathes a life into his piece that would normally be hard to find in a still image.





Conceptual Sentence Video